Charlton were expected to sign a striker, possibly two, before the transfer window closed on Monday.

The club could not quite get any deals over the line and the club’s CEO, Katrien Meire, issued the following statement:

“We have made a very good start to the new season, especially considering how many new players we have in the side. 

“There were discussions over potential additions to the squad before the end of the window and we began negotiations with clubs over a couple of players. 

“They have to be the right players and personalities, who we think will add to our current group and are affordable in the context of the club’s commitment to adhering to financial fair play regulations. 

“We are happy with our current squad and we did not just want to bring in players because of the pressure of the looming deadline. 

“Also, with a number of promising young players at the club, we are keen to aid their development and continue to show there will always be a pathway to the first team for the most talented youngsters at Charlton. 

“As always, we will continue to assess the playing squad over the coming weeks and months and remain determined that we have a group capable of competing in the Championship.” 

There has been the usual speculation over the identities of the players and whether the Addicks will use the loan market when the window opens next week.

Darren Bent is a name that has been bandied about as a possible loanee, the main theory being that he has allegedly been spotted at the club’s training ground in Sparrows Lane.

Bent hails from South London and enjoyed the most successful period of his career at The Valley. Like most players, he is likely to have kept contact with old acquaintances and visited them on occasions.

David Beckham has visited Sparrows Lane and academy starlet, Kadell Daniel has been picked up from the training ground by a friend from his Palace days before now. That friend is Wilfried Zaha.

So a player visiting Sparrows Lane does not necessarily mean he is about to sign for the club.

Bent is contracted to Ason Villa who paid Sunderland £24m for his services in January 2011. Current Villa boss, Paul Lambert, does not appear to be a fan of Bent’s and the player spent last season on loan with Fulham.

He scored just 3 goal in 24 appearances for the Cottagers and it remains to be seen whether he is given a number by Villa when the Premier League squad lists are revealed on Friday.

Villa owner, Randy Lerner, has run a tight financial ship of recent times and would want most, if not all, of Bent’s wages paid if he allowed the player to go out on loan. 

Bearing in mind the size of the transfer fee, it is safe to assume that Bent earns considerably more than £50,000 per week.

In paragraph three of her statement, Katrien Meire said this about possible acquisitions:

“……..and are affordable in the context of the club’s commitment to adhering to financial fair play regulations.”

That would appear to rule out any chance of the 30-year-old striker coming to Charlton. Another factor is whether Bent is yet ready to drop down a division.

Another avenue for the Addicks to explore is the free agent market. Players who are currently without a club can sign outside of the transfer window.

One player linked with the Addicks who comes under this category is Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. Ebanks-Blake has had more than his fair share of injuries but, at his best, he is a potent threat.

The ’emergency’ loan window allows clubs to loan players for a maximum of 93 days, so any planned deals are unlikely to be completed until the end of next week. With Championship clubs having a blank weekend due to the international games, there would be little point in completing deals this week.

Clubs may prefer to leave moving into the loan market until the end of the month, which would mean the 93 day period would expire in early January. 

A successful move could then be converted into a permanent deal, or a standard loan for the rest of the season, without the player having to return to his parent club.

Emergency loans can only happen between domestic clubs, so the Addicks will not be able to recruit from Standard Liege until January.

The transfer window may have closed on Monday but the search for new recruits is still in full flow.